Chapter 2: Motive

As Suzume opened the sliding wall at the opposite side of the passage and stepped forth into the castle dungeons, she came to the sudden realization that Gregor was no longer in front of her.

He had said that he was going to scout, hadn't he? She hadn't exactly realized that he meant she would be left alone, inside enemy lines, armed with nothing but her own magic and a staff.

Just like her ancestor Sypha, huh? She smiled to herself and wielded the staff. It was time to show everyone what she was made of.

As a skeleton approached her, she struck it with the side of her staff, causing it to collapse to the ground. As she watched to see if it would stand again, she noticed two more moving bodies behind her. Acting quickly, she spun around with her staff swinging. Unfortunately, she had misjudged her balance, and the staff struck low, only managing to knock one skeleton down. Compensating, she extended the other end on her next swing, which allowed the third skeleton to easily duck it. Without missing a beat, she turned again to the second skeleton and brought the end of the staff down upon its head, shattering it. And with only a slight pause afterward, she released the staff with one hand to strike the third skeleton with a blast of holy magic.

The three creatures were weak compared to the threats to come, but Suzume didn't worry too much about it. Fighting these things was starting to become fun.

Sadly, the books she had studied neglected to mention that Sypha had been turned to stone during her adventure, and remained that way until another hero came along to rescue her. It was just as well. She needed the confidence.

After about an hour of exploring, she came to the conclusion that the only remaining route that was not locked and barred was to leave the dungeon and head upstairs to the main hall.

Moving cautiously and quietly, she climbed the steps and attempted to look through the keyhole of the door at the top. It was useless. She couldn't see anything through it.

Moving on to plan B, she opened the door slowly with intent to peek around it. As she did so, the door creaked heavily. As she winced at this error, she noticed that a man in armor was in the room, and he was now looking in her direction. Still, the armor looked to be of the kind worn by members of the church...

She opened the door smoothly this time and stepped through as if she owned the place. "What's the situation?"

"Sister Belnades?" the armored man said in surprise, and then stepped away and turned to look down a hallway near where he had been standing. "Tell Father Williams! We found Sister Belnades!"

Suzume sighed to herself. From their reaction, they had apparently been looking for her. She was likely to be in trouble shortly. Even worse, they were still referring to each other by titles. It was enough to make her roll her eyes.

Marcus showed up shortly afterward. His expression was somewhere between anger and relief. "Suzume! Where have you been! We were worried sick!"

Suzume smiled. "No need to worry about me. I'm feeling much better now."

"Don't ever pull a stunt like that again! We've been looking for you for an hour! I had almost given up hope! We thought one of them killed you!" A bit of hesitation. "...one of them didn't kill you, did they?"

Suzume paused for a moment in confusion before she realized what he was asking. "Nah. No bites. Just a few scratches. Nothing serious. You can check me if you like."

At this rate, she thought, Marcus would draw her into a hug in the next few seconds. Instead, he simply built a small amount of holy power and released it into her. "You shouldn't go running off on your own in a place like this, you know."

"Oh, like you wouldn't?" she replied with a smirk.

Marcus looked at her for a second, and then shook his head. "At the very least, you should have been accompanied."

She nodded. "I was. Some guy named Gregor helped me get inside. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you?"

He thought for a second. "Tell me more about him."

"Well, he... he's got red hair, he's well armored, and he fights with a staff. In fact," she said, gesturing to the staff she still held, "he gave me this one. If you see him, he'll know my name."

He breathed a faint sigh of relief. "In that case, I'll have to thank him for his help." A brief pause. "Did you meet anyone else?"

"Just him, you guys... and a couple of vampires." She looked down sadly. "They're the ones that got me. Gregor says their master wields the power of Dracula."

Marcus looked directly at her in shock. "How does..." Then he calmed slightly. "I fear that he may be correct." A brief pause. "Did I ever tell you why I left?"

"They said you were on a pilgrimage."

"That wasn't entirely true. I was looking for a friend. Someone your mother knows very well. His name is Soma Cruz."

Suzume tried to remember him. She remembered a man with white hair and pale features. He and her mother used to tell stories to each other whenever he was in the area of their church. Nothing romantic between the two, though. He had a girlfriend at home, her mother would always say. "I think I've met him. Mother said she used to aid him in battle, as well as try to protect him with her life. If I'm thinking of the right guy, he was..."

The pieces started to fall together for her. She finished the sentence in what was almost a whisper. "...she said he was once the bearer of Dracula's power."

"He still is, as far as I know. I've never been sure just how closely tied he is to Dracula. A few of us were worried that he might be the dark lord reborn. After some analysis, we find this to be unlikely. But still..."

"At the very least", Suzume considered, "we can be sure that he and Dracula's power are never far apart."

"Anyway, I was headed to this castle when I met up with the other group. They told me you were here. I told them that... I think Soma is here as well."

"What? Soma's here? We need to find him!"

"No!" Marcus tried to calm himself. "Don't you see? The bearer of Dracula's power is here, and there are vampires and undead creatures about, and they've attacked a village!"

Suzume went pale. "You think... damn. We're in trouble, aren't we?"

Marcus nodded. "It's just like all the old stories. Dracula may have returned."

"Then the vampires here are..." Suzume hesitated. "No. Gregor said that Dracula has not returned. Is there another possible explanation?"

"Um... not one I can think of, no." He looked at her suspiciously. "Just how much does this guy know?"

Suzume shrugged. "I don't know. But I intend to find out. I'm going to look for him. Maybe he can fill in the gaps."

"Are you sure? With those vampires..."

"I don't think we came here ready to fight Dracula. We need help, and he might be the one to give it to us. It's worth a try."

Marcus nodded slowly, and then smiled. "You're as confident as when you were young. But do not forget that help is there when you need it."

She smiled in return. "I won't. Thank you, Marcus." With that, she turned to head down one of the hallways.

"Wait", he said. She turned around again, to find a rosary being held in her direction. "Take this with you. It may help. I have a spare."

Suzume took the cross and placed it around her neck. "Thank you again."

Marcus turned back to the original hallway. "We're almost done sanctifying this area. It'll give us a base of operations. If you run into any trouble, head directly back here." He paused for a moment, and then pulled her into an embrace. "And please, whatever you do, don't die."

This hallway was guarded a little more heavily than the dungeons. Suzume found herself struggling more often, but she still managed to leave a wake of dead undead behind her. If anything else, she thought, she felt like she was getting somewhat better at fighting like this.

Still, as she approached an open room that looked like a dining hall, she couldn't help but feel some kind of premonition, as if something bad was about to happen to her. It made her feel more nervous than usual.

Deciding to face it head on, she charged into the next room. Nothing. No demons or vampires waiting to surprise her. Just a dining hall, currently unfurnished, with exits in several directions.

The sound of fighting came from one of them. She headed in that direction and looked around the corner to find Gregor finishing off what looked like an oversized suit of armor. His form was good if awkward, as it appeared like he was landing blows with intent to reposition the opponent in the prime spot for a final strike.

His enemy dispatched, he turned to face her. "Greetings again, Suzume."

She decided to remain friendly to him. "Hey there. Did you get a chance to talk to Marcus or the others?"

He looked at her, and then shook his head. "I have yet to meet with any of them again, I am afraid."

"That's too bad." She sighed. "What about Soma?"

Gregor looked at her with surprise in his eyes. "You are a friend of Soma?"

Suzume shrugged. "We've never really talked much, but..."

"I have some unfortunate news." Gregor took a deep breath, possibly to give himself a chance to reconsider his words. Then he looked at her with a guilty look in his eyes. "To properly complete my mission, I must kill him."

She glared at him. "Why?"

"He possesses the power of Dracula. He must be eliminated to ensure that this power is kept out of the hands of anyone else."

She nodded hesitantly. "So that's why you're here." He thought back to what Marcus had said. "Just so I know, is he the master that these vampires spo..."

He interrupted her. "Soma is not the master of this castle." A short pause. "But he retains a dangerous amount of power nonetheless."

"That's no reason to kill him!" Her voice quickly grew angry. "Soma is a person, just like you and..."

"Say what you will. This is not the first time that men have sought to control his power. It is best that we end this here and now."

Suzume had trouble collecting her thoughts in the face of this argument. One kept sticking out in her mind. "But if he dies, Dracula could be reborn!"

"It is quite possible."

She angrily advanced on him. "How can you be so calm about that? People gave their lives to seal him away! If he returns, it could lead to the end of humanity as we know it!"

Gregor nodded slowly. "Perhaps. But by that time, the people will have another champion to defend them. These vampires are attacking people now."

Suzume stopped. The warrior had a point. The Belmonts were the heroes typically sent for in the past when Dracula's forces emerged. In a few years time, one would be ready to take up the whip again. But for the moment, no heir of proper age was available. Suzume and the rest of the church needed to act, and they needed all the help they could get.

His next words echoed her thoughts. "Did you not come here to stop them from making everyone suffer? I believe that you can accomplish your goal. I am willing to assist you."

Suzume sighed in defeat. "But... to kill an innocent man... why does it have to come to this?"

"The conflict between good and evil is nothing less than a holy war, Miss Belnades." Gregor gazed off into the distance. "When Dracula enters the fray, death is a certainty."

"Are you sure that there is no other way?"

"Many other methods have been attempted. All have failed."

Suzume grumbled to herself. This day was turning out far worse than she had initially planned. Several hours ago, she had thought that she could solve the world's problems by herself. And now she was being told that, to save humanity, she had to end the life of a man who deserved no such fate...

"You seem awfully sure about this. How much do..."

Gregor cut her off. "You are clearly reluctant. You need not decide right away. It is not yet the moment to act." He looked back at the hallway from which he entered. "Continue your training and think about your decision. I will ask you again when I need you." And, without another word, he headed back down the hallway from which he entered.

Suzume could only stare after him. "Wow. I know he's seen his share of battles, but..."

An hour later, Suzume finally returned to the safe area, tightly holding her left shoulder with her right hand. The lesson was true enough, but she hated learning it. When you meet an opponent who is as skilled as you are, you can win, but you will feel the effects of your victory long afterward.

Her opponent of choice was an axe-wielding minotaur. Her first mistake, in hindsight, was attempting to block a large axe with a quarterstaff. It didn't break, sure, but she was knocked off balance and the bull was quick to capitalize. She almost dodged the follow-up strike, and her shoulder was looking pretty bad for it. Not to mention the multiple knee and hoof strikes she suffered before she discovered how useful fire was in that situation. She had to agree with the earlier speech. Holy power was not always the best method.

None of the clerics were around. Worse yet, she could smell the blood.

She checked some of the rooms in the area. Most were empty. In a couple of the chambers, there was a pool of blood on the ground; evidence that someone had, in fact, lost a battle. Some of the pools had streaks, suggesting that the bodies had been moved afterward. One left a trail of dripping blood behind. Acting quickly, she followed the red spots.

It was on this path that she heard what sounded like furniture shaking. By following the sound, she located the source in a small darkened room on the second floor of the castle. Samuel had been tied to a chair, and he was doing his best to undo his bonds.

He looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. "Miss Belnades!" he shouted in a cheerful voice. "You came to rescue me!"

She winced once again at the use of the title, but recovered. "Where are the vampires?"

He considered for a moment. "I haven't seen them lately."

Suzume nodded and entered the room. "What happened? How did the others fall? Last I heard, they were sanctifying the..."

A female voice interrupted. "Just because you can't see someone doesn't mean no one is there."

Two figures moved from the corners of the room nearest the door, where light from the outer hallway did not reach. One headed directly to the door to close and bar it, leaving the room in complete darkness. The other drew a sword and struck down the young priest in a single swing. He barely had time to scream before he was silenced.

Suzume cursed to herself as she found herself held once again, this time by what felt like the more female of the two.

"Your plan paid off", the male vampire said. "Good thinking."

"Thank you", replied the female voice behind Suzume's head. "What do you think we should do with this one?"

"Let me at her. I can finish her with no problem, just like the others."

Suzume could hear a head shaking behind her. "You say that, and yet you completely failed to kill her last time."

The male's voice seemed insistent now. "It was not my doing. He got in the way."

There was a pause in the conversation. Suzume felt the need to interrupt it. "He?"

"It's obvious that he won't let anything happen to her", the female finally responded. "What do you say we prepare him a little surprise?"

"Are you sure about this? We may be a bit outmatched."

"You know our master won't forgive us if we allow him to intervene. It's high time we took the fight to him. Dracula's power should be enough to subdue him, and then he will no longer pose a threat to any of us."

Suzume, who had been frustrated by the situation in general, finally couldn't resist any longer. "Using Dracula's power? You jackasses! No wonder Gregor wants to keep it out of your hands!"

A short pause. Then the male spoke. "Who?"

The female's voice moved directly next to Suzume's ear. "Trust me, dear. You do not want to stand in the way of our master's plan. Once it is complete, your suffering will be over."

Suzume tried to move her head in an effort to strike her captor. She failed to hit anything. "I don't think so. I was sent here to stop you. I'm not giving up. There will be no more victims like the villagers."

The male voice snickered. "You're certainly not doing a good..."

"Wait." The female's voice was uneasy now. "How did you find out about that?"

"You don't know? The streets were covered in bodies! How could anyone not notice a bloodbath like that? Not many survived, but I'm sure those few will rest easier as soon as..."

Suzume suddenly found herself off balance and stumbling to the side of the room. The female was clearly angry about something.

"You told me we left no survivors!"

"I counted." The man's voice was insistent. "Every person in the village was slaughtered." A brief pause. "Maybe he..."

Suzume couldn't help but smile at this. "I guess you're not as smart as you thought, huh?"

The man's voice grew livid. "Why, you..."

There was a sound of metal, and then Suzume felt nothing but pain and discomfort in her chest again. She fell to the ground, feeling the combined textures of stone and blood. As she wondered if she had goaded them too far, she quickly lost consciousness.